


To the Moon and Back

by Salmon_I



Series: To the Moon and Back [16]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arguments, Confessions, F/M, Friendship, Good Noah Bracken, Government Conspiracy, Idiots Using Words, M/M, Romance, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:55:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22789843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salmon_I/pseuds/Salmon_I
Summary: "Easy there." Noah quickly moved to help her, and she found herself propped against his side. "Still feeling weak?""Iz!" Michael caught on to her being awake first, attracting the rest of the group’s attention. "You got to stop doing this to us, Iz.""What did I-" Memory caught up to her tired mind, and she turned to Maria. "What happened with your mother?""Her memories are back.  Good and bad." Maria told her.Isobel felt a smile of relief pull at her lips. "We did it.""You passed out, Isobel." Max put in. "Your face was covered in your own blood.""I couldn't let her win." Isobel told him."Who?""...Ophiuchus."
Relationships: Max Evans/Liz Ortecho, Michael Guerin/Alex Manes, Noah Bracken/Isabel Evans
Series: To the Moon and Back [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1283798
Comments: 19
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

“There’s coffee and bagels.” Noah mentioned, entering the room where Michael was working on fixing more of the wiring of the UFO museum. It was where he had spent most of his time the last few weeks since everything had gone down with Ophiuchus, and the revelations of what they now knew of the past.

“Thanks.” He replied, though he made no move to leave his current project for the offered food and drink.

Instead of leaving, Noah leaned back against the wall. “How long you planning on hiding out here?”

The words were like ice, and Michael felt the anger that was simmering in his gut begin to boil over. “If you don’t want my help, feel free to say so.”

“C’mon, Michael, you know that’s not what I mean.”

“Do I?”

“You’re angry.”

“Damn right, I’m angry!” Michael snapped back, and he could feel his powers skitter out of him - seeking an outlet for the emotions he was feeling but finding nothing in the empty room they were renovating to expel the emotions onto.

“See, there’s this crazy thing people do in these situations. They talk about it.” Noah told him.

“You want me to talk about it?” Michael looked back at him. “You want me to talk about how everything I ever feared could happen to us did happen to other survivors of the crash? Children like us? You want me to talk about how Ophiuchus was this crazy psycho who ruined our lives by making us accessories to three murders, yet for some reason, I can’t help but feel sorry for her after hearing what her life was like? And how messed up it is to feel sorry for the person who ruined your life?”

Michael tossed down the tools he’d been using, and began to pace the room. That was certainly the kicker. Ophiuchus had been bat shit crazy, but after being in the middle between her and Jesse Manes, and listening to what her life was like he wasn’t sure he blamed her for her crusade against humans, and Project Shepherd specifically. Wasn’t sure he couldn’t say that in her place he wouldn’t have turned out the exact same way. And now there was Project Clean Slate, and why did it feel like - even after everything they had just learned - nobody else seemed the least bit suspicious about it? “You want me to talk about, just because nobody has come to throw us in cells and dissect us - yet - Max and Alex freaking Manes blindly signed up for the Project that replaced the one that did all that?”

“Yeah, I do.” Noah replied evenly.

“It’s messed up! I don’t trust this Project Clean Slate. I learned the hard way what happens if you let yourself believe for one moment that people are naturally good.”

“People aren’t naturally good.” Noah opinioned, and Michael turned to him with a frown. “People aren’t naturally one or the other. It’s a choice. And a lot don’t choose to be.”

“Well, that was comforting.” Michael sniped. It was the last opinion he’d expected to hear from Noah, of all people.

Noah wasn’t thrown off by his continued display of anger. He faced him calmly as he continued his previous thought. “But the thing is, some people do choose it.”

Michael couldn’t meet his gaze - he turned to look back at the wiring he’d been working on. He didn’t want to think about who those words reminded him of, but he already was. “The world tends to chew those people up and spit them back out.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Noah admitted. “But we survive.”

Michael glanced at him, the anger that had been boiling over back down to a simmer. “As an exception, not the rule.”

Noah shrugged. “Y’know, you could go shout all this at Maximo. Though I think Liz is planning to do that.”

“Yeah, well, maybe he’ll listen to her.”

“You could shout it at Alex freaking Manes, too.”

Michael wasn’t sure what to reply to that. Facing Alex down sounded like both a really good idea and a really bad one. “He probably wouldn’t listen to me half as well as Max listens to Liz.”

“Well, he’s hanging around the foyer with the coffee and bagels he brought, so maybe give him the benefit of the doubt.”

Michael froze at his words. He had pretty much been shouting his head off - which meant Alex had to have heard at least part of his tirade. “You didn’t think to lead off with that?”

“Would you have talked to me if I had?” Noah challenged.

“Fuck, no.”

“Then, glad I didn’t. Do you want to talk to him?”

Michael hesitated, torn between two very different feelings. He glanced at the door behind Noah, as if it might make up his mind for him.

Noah’s expression softened. “It’s okay if the answer is no, Michael. I’ll tell him to go.”

It was kind of Noah to offer to run interference for him, and he was tempted to say yes. But a larger part wanted this confrontation - no matter the outcome. “No. I mean, yes, I want to talk to him.”

Noah nodded. “I’ll be around. You want him thrown out on his ass, let me know.”

Michael grinned at the cocky offer. “I’m pretty sure he could take us both on.”

“Hey, don’t underestimate me.” Noah only grinned back, before disappearing out the door.

A few moments later, he heard the gait of Alex’s approach. A part of him desperately wanted to pick back up the tools and start fixing the wiring again. Do something so he wouldn’t have to actually look at Alex while they hashed this out. Instead, he forced himself to stay in the middle of the room and wait for him.

Alex didn’t look angry, or contrite. His expression was calm as he entered, and his gaze was assessing as he took in his expression and stance. As if he was sizing up an opponent, which didn’t ease Michael’s concerns any. “Guerin.”

So they were back to that, already. Alex had used his first name the day he’d entered the pods, and again on the highway the day they faced off with Jesse Manes and Ophiuchus. “Private.” He responded. If Alex was going to put distance between them, he had no intention of doing anything but responding in kind. It was how the dance between them seemed to go since the day in the desert Alex had told him about his enlistment and asked him to go with him. He sometimes wondered what would his life have been like if he’d said yes that day.

Alex’s mouth twisted at the greeting, but his expression settled. “Still pushing me away?”

“That how you see it? I’m the one who puts distance between us? Because I seem to recall you saying we couldn’t work out.”

“I seem you to recall you telling me I was naive to think anywhere in this world was a better place just because it wasn’t Roswell.” Alex countered.

Michael winced. That had been what he’d said back when they were teenagers - the day he’d told Alex to leave without him. “Well, was I wrong?”

“Mostly not.” Alex admitted. “But that wasn’t why you sent me away, was it?”

“Does it matter now?”

“I keep telling you, I’m not walking away anymore.”

“No, you’re just working for the type of project I feared would come for us our whole lives.”

“I would have thought the last few months would have proven that I don’t work for anybody but myself, and that if anyone comes for you - I would protect you.”

“I don’t need a Protector, Alex. And I certainly never asked you to sign up for that.”

“I swore after what happened that I would never let anyone hurt you again, Michael. You or anyone I cared about. I was tired of losing. I wanted to learn how to win battles.”

“Well, did you?” It was a low blow, and he could see it in Alex’s eyes.

“If you don’t want to be with me, okay.” Alex told him. “But I’ll never stop trying to protect you.”

“Do you think you’re some kind of damn hero?” Michael snapped at him.

“No. But I am a soldier, Guerin. I’m not the teenager rebel you fell for, full of hopes and dreams. You seem to think I haven’t changed. Well, I have. I have done things that I…” Alex trailed off, shaking his head. “I’ve done things you don’t want to know. And sometimes who I see in the mirror terrifies me because I’m not sure who’s looking back. What I do know is what that person is capable of, and there are nights that keeps me awake. Honestly, it should scare you, too.”

Michael shook his head in disagreement - if there was one person he could never be scared of, it was Alex. Alex ignored the silent protest and continued.

“But the one thing I would never be capable of is hurting you or anyone you care about. Everyone we both loved is caught up in all of this. That’s why I joined Project Clean Slate. Not because I trust it, but because I don’t. And if it turns out to be a risk to the people I care about? I will end it. Believe me.”

As if Michael had been able to do anything but believe what he’d told him since the day he’d stolen his guitar and Alex came to take it back. He wasn’t sure what answers Alex was seeking, but he knew the only one he had to offer after what he’d just told him.

"When I say that from where I stand nothing has changed it isn't because I don't see who you are, Alex. It's because I do." Michael stepped forward so their eyes would meet. He needed Alex to know he meant every word of what he was saying. "You may not be sure of who you see in the mirror, but I know who I see when I look at you. I see someone who would still offer an outcast a place to stay with no strings attached. I see someone who still would do something nice for no reason sometimes and act as if that wasn't unique in this world or any other. I see you for who you are at the core, Alex. I always have."

"....I once asked you to leave with me. And you said no… what if I asked you to stay with me? Would you do that?"

“For how long?” The question was half-joking, half scared hope.

“Get a clue, Michael.” Alex’s lips curled in a smirk, even as he stepped closer.

“Maybe I just want to hear you say it.” Michael felt himself move closer, too, as if drawn to Alex like something inevitable.

Alex reached out a hand to pull him the rest of the way in, his lips hovering over his for a moment. “Forever wouldn’t be long enough.”

Michael closed the rest of the gap, his lips meeting Alex’s desperately. This was everything he’d ever dreamed of and more, and part of him was still waiting to wake up and have it all dissipate. But the weight of Alex’s arms around him was real, and he surrendered to both the kiss and the feelings coursing through him. When he drew back for a breath, Alex only chased after his mouth, insistent and just as desperate as he was feeling himself.

He told himself he was not at all surprised when the moment was interrupted. “Michael!” Noah shouted before he was charging into the room, phone in hand.

The shout broke them free of the moment, though a part of Michael wanted to ignore Noah and just kiss Alex again - but something about the way Noah looked had alarm bells going off in his head. Alex must have seen it too, because he took one step back. “What happened?”

“Isobel collapsed.”

“Where?”

“She was with Maria and her mother. They were supposed to try to help her recall her memories.”

“DIdn’t anyone go with them?” Michael asked him.

“You know your sister.” Noah responded.

“Shit.” Michael grabbed up his hat where it was on the floor next to his toolbox. “Let’s go.”

“I’m coming.” Alex told him.

Michael turned to tell him he had it covered, and then paused. He didn’t have to do this alone. Never again. He wasn’t sure if he even understood what that would entail for the future. He was certain it wasn’t going to be as easy as it felt at this moment, but somehow he realized he didn’t care. They’d figure it out one step at a time. “Let’s go.”

Despite his worry over Isobel, the smile Alex gave him made everything feel hopeful.

  
_To Be Continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m feeling pretty inspired so quick update. Slight step back to what was happening with Malex and Echo while Isobel and Maria were trying to help Mimi. I actually am super happy with both Noah and Michael’s scene and the Malex scene. Next chapter is Max’s POV, and Echo’s scene together which I hope will make me as happy. We’ll see


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you going to tell Michael and Isobel?" Kyle asked him as they emerged from what looked like an ordinary business building, but was actually one of the headquarters of Project Clean Slate.

"We promised no more secrets between us." Max answered. The two of them had spent part of the day looking over old files of the program that they'd been granted access too. That in itself had been a process, and a few jokes about feeling like they were back in school had been passed between those of the group who had signed up for Project Clean Slate.

Max was used to spending the day with Cam, and their interactions during the weeks Michael had spent in the pod had gone a long way to easing the distrust and tension between him and Alex. They hadn't quite been friends in high school, but they'd been in the same circles enough to have a type of easy interaction they had fallen back into.

Kyle and he were a different matter. They'd never been friends and they certainly had never seen eye to eye. If it weren't for circumstances bringing them together like this, Max would probably have been happy to continue hating Kyle for the rest of his life. But circumstances had brought them together, and he was forced to admit that Kyle wasn't the person he'd known when they were younger. He'd taken risks of his own to try and keep them all safe, and he was turning out to be a much-needed voice of reason among the group.

"We should probably just get everyone together, go over what we learned." Kyle suggested.

Max nodded, debating whether to wait a few days. Dig in the archives a bit more. "Maybe we can-!"

"Max!" Liz was walking up to them. "We need to talk."

So far the conversations that began this way between them weren't always going well. He could tell Liz was unhappy with him, which wasn't the best start. But he also knew he couldn't deny her anything. Never had been able to.

Before he could say anything, Kyle spoke up, a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "Hello, Kyle, how are you doing? Fine Liz. Thank you so much for asking."

Liz wavered, glancing over at Kyle. "I'm sorry, Kyle. But could I steal Max for a moment?"

Kyle must have seen something in her face, because after exchanging a look, he nodded. Then, to Max's surprise, he turned to him to pat his shoulder twice. "Nice knowing you, Evans."

Max decided that was definitely not helping ease his tension. Kyle continued toward their vehicles, while he followed Liz down the street to where an old playground sat abandoned.

“What are you doing, Max?” She finally asked.

“We’re finished for the day, so I was-”

“That’s what I’m talking about.” Liz cut in. “Project Clean Slate - why are you doing this?"

“They have answers, Liz. Answers we need.”

“So, you, what? You’re going to trust some secret organization whose purpose is to hide the truth? Because, take a look at history, Max. Nothing good can come of that.”

“Okay, but what other option is there? This is our only source of information. That’s worth some risk.”

“You saw what Caulfield was like.” Liz brought up.

Max hesitated before replying. Their brief afternoon in the prison that once had held Ophiuchus and others of their kind had not brought any comfort. It was the type of fate they feared. He’d said as much to Liz when he’d first told her what they were. It was the science they feared the most. The idea of being held captive; dissected. “I saw it.”

“So did I. And I can’t unsee that. I can’t unthink the thought that it could be you in there.”

Max tried to tamp down at the hope those words flared. She’d talked about her belief in him in Texas, but they hadn’t shared another moment like that since. His own feelings for Liz would never change, but he didn’t want to hope for more than she could give. He concentrated on easing her fears. “That’s not going to happen.”

“You don’t know that. You can’t promise that it won’t happen to you. That if you’re exposed…” She trailed off.

“I’ve spent twenty years trying to ignore who I am; what I am.” He confessed to her. “I didn’t want to look for answers. Now, looking back, I feel like that hurt us. All of us. If we’d tried to understand more, then maybe… maybe things would have been different.”

It was a thought that plagued his mind. Maybe they would have realized Ophiuchus was possessing Isobel. Maybe Rosa wouldn’t have been murdered.

Liz shook her head. “You can’t spend your life on regrets, Max. You can’t change the past.”

“I know. But I can make sure it doesn’t happen again. The more we know, the safer we are.”

“You know, Jenna says you didn’t use to be the type to run around playing the hero.”

“Since when do you hang out with Cam?” Max couldn’t keep the confusion out of his voice. He was pretty sure Liz and Cam had never even properly met before everything happened.

“Your sister has stolen my drinking partner, so I stole yours.” Liz told him. “And don’t try to change the subject.”

“I’m not changing the subject.” He denied. The look Liz shot him spoke volumes. “I’m not trying to be a hero, Liz. I just want to do the right thing.”

“You don’t know this is the right thing.” Liz reminded him. “And you have so much more to lose from being close to this.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“You’ll be dead, Max. Or worse. If this goes sideways, and I…” She looked away, not finishing the thought. The silence weighed between them and before he thought to fill it himself, Liz was speaking again. “After Ophiuchus attacked the lab, Dr Avila and my study was shut down here. There was an opportunity in Palo Alto.”

Max felt his heart drop. “You’re leaving.”

Liz forced her eyes back to him. “I turned it down.” She confessed. “Last night I went drinking with Alex and Jenna. And at one point she told us we were idiots, which I think is the first time anyone’s ever actually called me that in my whole life. So I called today, and I turned down the position.”

He could feel the hope surge up again. “Why?”

“Because I had drinks with Jenna and Alex last night, and she told me I was an idiot and a coward, and she’s not completely wrong. I had lunch with Michael yesterday, and lunch with your sister and her husband the day before that, and dinner with Alex, Maria, and Kyle the night before that. I don’t remember the last time I let so many people get close to me, and a part of me is terrified of that. So I thought about taking that position. I thought about leaving before-”

“Before you were left. Doesn’t take a scientist to figure out why. I know your mom hurt you.” Max filled in for her. “If this is too much-”

“It’s not.” LIz assured him. “That’s why I turned the position down. Because I realized I didn’t want to run from this. I didn’t want to run from you. Not again.”

He found himself lost in her eyes, not sure of what to say. He’d never expected to be here, not after everything. “Liz-”

Liz pressed her finger against his lip, then turned her hand to press against the side of his jaw, her fingers lightly tracing the stubble there. “But if I mess up, if I cave and take off again, I need you to follow me this time. Don’t let me go that easily again, okay?”

“I never would have in the first place, if I didn’t think it was what you wanted.” He told her, carefully reaching out to rest his hand on her arm. Instead of pulling away, Liz stepped further forward into the embrace.

“I want you.” She confessed. He felt like he’d waited a lifetime to hear those words. Then Liz’s lips were pressed against his, and he lost himself in her kiss. Her lips were soft, but insistent against his own, and he felt her arms clasp around his shoulders, even as his own wrapped around her waist. Each time they began to pull back, the other would chase after them, reigniting the kiss. He never wanted it to end, but after several minutes they finally rested their foreheads together, just breathing in the other’s breath as the world slowly faded back in around them. “Was it worth the wait?” Liz teased him.

Max laughed. “Yes. Yes, absolutely. Let's never wait again, okay? No more waiting, ever.”

Liz was grinning at his stilted words. Some writer, a part of him teased himself. Not that he didn’t want to write sonnets to Liz, but in this moment poetry was the last thing on his mind. “No more waiting.” Liz repeated, leaning in for another kiss.

“Liz! Max!” Kyle’s voice interrupted, and Max admitted to himself that maybe he wasn’t quite over his hatred for Valenti yet.

Liz pulled back from the moment, to stare over at where he was running up to them. “Kyle, what…” She trailed off, and Max - who had looked the other way to hide his frustration, turned back. “What happened?” She stepped out of the embrace, but kept one hand on his shoulder.

“It’s Isobel.” Kyle told them.

Max felt his world stop at those words.

  
_To Be Concluded..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was very hard for me, but I think I'm finally happy with it. Next chapter is a final group scene. I should have it up in a few days!


	3. Chapter 3

She was lying on something soft, and someone was dabbing gently at her face with a damp cloth.

"Her vital signs are fine. I think she just overexerted herself." That sounded like Kyle to her, but why would she be somewhere Kyle was?

"I didn't know this would happen. We'd been practicing, and she seemed fine at first." Maria's voice was wet. Was she crying?

"Why didn't you do this in sessions instead of all at once?" Max sounded belligerent. He shouldn't be talking to their friends that way. Especially after everything they'd been through together.

“That’s hardly fair, Max.” Liz spoke up in their defense. “You three don’t even know that much about your powers, how was anyone going to know this would happen?”

"Isobel always pushes for perfection, she wasn't going to quit halfway even if she was hurting herself." And that was Noah. Where the heck was she again?

Forcing her eyes open, she found herself on her living room couch. Noah was gently dabbing at her face with a cloth, while the others were further into the room. Kyle was closing up a case of medical supplies. "What's going on?" She tried to sit up, but found herself too weak to get far.

"Easy there." Noah quickly moved to help her, and she found herself propped against his side. "Still feeling weak?"

"Iz!" Michael caught on to her being awake first, attracting the rest of the group’s attention. "You got to stop doing this to us, Iz."

"What did I-" Memory caught up to her tired mind, and she turned to Maria. "What happened with your mother?"

"Her memories are back. Good and bad." Maria told her.

Isobel felt a smile of relief pull at her lips. "We did it."

"You passed out, Isobel." Max put in. "Your face was covered in your own blood."

"I couldn't let her win." Isobel told him.

"Who?"

"...Ophiuchus."

Max had no reply to that, but Noah took her hand, squeezing it gently. She couldn't go back in time and undo what Ophiuchus had used her own body to do. But in this, at least, she’d succeeded against her. It made her feel like she’d taken back some of the control she had felt like she’d lost as they uncovered the truth from what had happened back then.

“What was it Ophiuchus did?” Alex asked.

“She tried to obscure DeLuca’s memories of her. But there were years of interactions, both with her and others about her. I mean, our thoughts to someone aren’t connected to just when they’re with us. After a while, the damage just spread. Obscuring years of memories to keep the memories of Ophiuchus hidden. In her mind, it was like this mist or fog, keeping her from thinking clearly.”

“Is that something you can do?”

Isobel shook her head. “I can… make something seem less important. It’s not forgetting, precisely. Just the level of importance assigned to that memory. I’ve never tried anything like Ophiuchus did, and I don’t think the result was exactly what she meant it to be.”

“But she seemed to have more than one power. You three only seem to have one.” Alex pointed out. “Why?”

“We don’t know, we didn’t come with instruction manuals.” Michael quipped. Alex poked his side in retaliation, and Michael swatted at his hand.

“We were busy trying to control what powers manifested.” Max spoke up. “Make sure those powers didn’t draw attention to ourselves. The last thing we were worried about was trying for more.”

“Project Shepherd, on the other hand, would have wanted to know everything Ophiuchus was capable of. So they could use those powers.” Cam pointed out.

“So, she wasn’t more powerful than us. She just trained.” Isobel translated.

“That’s also why she didn’t throw up or try to bleed to death when using her powers for extended periods of time.” Michael added.

“Thanks for the reminder.” Isobel told him. “I still feel weak as a newborn kitten.”

“Well, after some more rest, you should be fine.” Liz assured her.

“Though I would suggest being more careful about overexerting your powers. To all of you.” Kyle added on. “I’d like to keep my alien patient housecalls to more of a minimum than they’ve been the last few months.”

“You know you love us, Doc.” Michael shot off.

“Not the term I would use.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“In the last memory.” Isobel frowned, recalling the conversation before Ophiuchus’s entrance. “Mimi DeLuca and Jim Valenti were talking about their original suspect for Rosa’s murder. The one Sheriff Valenti mentioned, but they had a name for him. Cetus.”

“They also called him Escapee One.” Maria added.

“I saw something about Escapee One on a file I was reading, but I haven’t found the reference file yet.” Cam spoke up. “They linked several crimes to him over the years.”

Kyle and Max exchanged a glance, and Isobel frowned. “What is it?”

“We were going to get everyone together to talk about it.” Max admitted. “We ran across the files on him today”

“Who is he?”

“He’s a survivor of the original crash, apparently. But he’s considered dangerous.”

“Considering they were attacked after crashing here, are you sure he’s dangerous to us?” Michael pointed out.

“In this case, he’s dangerous to everyone.” Max told him.

“My father and Mimi DeLuca met one other survivor, and they were the one who warned them about this guy.” Kyle spoke up next.

“Another survivor? Where are they?” Isobel asked.

“They died years ago. Shortly after meeting them.” Kyle told her.

Another missed connection - just like the one from Arizona’s tribe. Sheriff Valenti had said they weren’t sure how many survivors had escaped that night. Someone had hidden their pods in the mine, though. Was it one of the ones that were now dead? Or was there another survivor somewhere that they hadn’t found out about yet? “Well, did they tell them anything?”

“They warned them about this Cetus, Escapee One, whatever you want to call him.” Max took back over the explanation. “Apparently he was a stowaway on the ship we were on. He’s the one who caused the crash.”

“So the crash was caused on purpose?” Cam sat forward.

“There’s a reference to this Cetus being some sort of wanted criminal.” Kyle filled in. “He decided to take his chances here rather than wherever you’re from.”

The group was silent as that information sunk in. Isobel had never given much thought to why the ship had crashed. The concept that somebody had caused it had certainly never crossed her mind.

“That was over seventy years ago. He’s still alive?” Liz questioned.

“He’s listed as alive. But Project Clean Slate has no idea where he is.”

“Well, that’s useful. Good to know signing up to be a government alien guinea pig has brought you such great information.” Michael sniped.

“I didn’t sign up to be anyone’s guinea pig.” Max told him.

“Nobody knows anything about the three of you.” Kyle backed him up.

“I thought you wanted a normal life, now you’re signing up for some secret organization whose purpose you don’t even fully understand.” Michael pointed out.

“The more information we have, the safer we’ll be.” Max disagreed.

Michael shook his head. “There’s no such thing as “safe”, Max.”

“I don’t like it either.” Isobel broke into the growing disagreement.

“Seriously?” Max turned to her.

“Michael has a point, Max. We only just learned about Project Shepherd and Project Clean Slate. And there is a lot we don’t know about either’s history still.”

“Thank-you.” Michael crossed his arms, shooting Max a pointed look.

“But Max has a point, too. The more information we can get, about either project, the less likely we’ll be jumped by men in hazmat suits to take us off to a secret facility somewhere.”

“Thank-you.” Max copied Michael’s words and actions pointedly.

“We’ve all done a little too much deciding what was right for one another.” She was gratified to see Max and Michael both grow sober at those words. “So if you want to do this, Max, I won’t stop you. But remember that you don’t get to make choices for Michael and I. So if you learn anything that concerns us, you don’t get to keep it from us for our own good. It’s not your call.”

Max hesitated, but nodded. “Deal.”

“Michael?” Isobel glanced at him.

“I don’t like it.” Michael stated. “I’ll never like it, and if anything goes wrong, I’m going to remind you I said it was a bad idea from the start.”

Max broke into a smile. “Deal.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him for you, Guerin.” Kyle quipped.

“So what you’re saying is I have to rely on Cam to save both your asses if there’s trouble.“ Michael shot back.

“Sounds like normal.” Cam volunteered.

“That sounds like the safest bet.” Maria seconded.

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be on my side?” Kyle asked her. “I’m the one who brought you into all of this.”

“I’m not sure that really counts as in your favor.” Maria responded.

“Hey, what about me?” Alex complained.

“You can protect your own ass.” Cam shrugged.

“Why don’t you think I can protect myself?” Max spoke up.

“You are the one of us who actually got shot.” Liz pointed out, even as she slipped her hand in his.

“Actually, all this started because you got shot.” Max reminded her.

“So we just need to lock you two up, and the rest of us will be fine?” Cam suggested.

“If you lock them in a room together, you’ll never get them out.” Isobel pointed out.

“I never promised to lock them up together.”

“Now you’re just being unfair.” Liz told her.

As the tension slowly bled out of the room, and the banter between the group grew friendlier, Isobel let herself sink back against Noah’s side again, and her husband slid his arm around her shoulder. This was more than she ever expected when all of this started. For the first time since they’d woken up from the crash twenty years ago, she truly felt like they were no longer alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite the hints here with Cetus and Project Clean Slate, I won't be continuing on further in this Verse. I just wanted to finish clarifying the backstory, and have the group come together one final time to discuss how to move forward. With the idea that they would do so as a group, no longer alone or separated, as the focus.
> 
> I'll still be around writing more Roswell, but I started this whole series before season one ended and it's hard to get into it's headspace these days. I hope everyone enjoyed reading this series as much as I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> Feel free to come squee with me about fandom stuff over at tumblr, you can find me there under salmonthestoryteller


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